Humidifier with rotating diffusion blade



July 17, 1956 J. LYON 2,755,129

HUMIDIFIER WITH ROTATING DIFFUSION BLADE Filed July 28, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

domes Lyon 1-5 5 dam w July 17, 1956 J. LYON 2,755,129

HUMIDIFIER WITH ROTATING DIFFUSION BLADE Filed July 28, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. d am e s L g 0 r7 United States Patent HUMIDIFIER WITH ROTATING DIFFUSION BLADE James Lyon, San Diego, Calif.

Application July 28, 1954, Serial No. 446,193

2 Claims. (Cl. 299-62) This invention relates to a humidifier and it consists in the constructions, arrangements and combinations herein described and claimed.

It is the cardinal object of the invention to provide a humidifier which is automatic, of simple construction eliminating the use of valves and critical orifices which may become clogged by foreign matter in the control of water in the operation of the device and in which a novel construction of pump is employed for supplying water to a rotating atomizing blade for breaking the surface tension of the water to create a fine mist which will be distributed by a rotating diffusion blade.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a humidifier of a portable character consisting of a receptacle having an upright frame including an end wall and a partial top wall; the end wall supporting an outlet box having conductor wires leading to an electric motor supported upon the partial top wall, said motor having a drive shaft extending downwardly into the receptacle, the lower end of the shaft being seated in a bearing upon the bottom wall of the receptacle, the portion of the shaft seated within the bearing being provided with a plurality of spiral grooves which function as a pump for elevating water to an atomizing blade secured to the shaft, there being a diffusing blade secured to the shaft above the atomizing blade, and said frame further supporting a barometric water supply for the receptacle.

It is also an important object of the invention to provide a simplified form of pump, in which a driven shaft is provided with a plurality of spiral grooves which in conjunction with a supporting bearing functions as a pump for elevating water to an atomizing blade.

A still further object of the invention is to provide novel constructions of atomizing blades, interchangeable upon a driven shaft so that the capacity of the humidifier may be increased or decreased to meet varying conditions.

Additional objects, advantages and features of invention will be apparent from the following description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the unit.

Figure 2 is a vertical cross section of the unit.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through the unit.

Figure 4 is a cross section on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the high out-put blade.

Figure S-A is a top plan view of a high out-put blade indicating how the blade may be bent to vary the capacity of the blade.

Figure 6 is a plan view of a low out-put blade.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary side elevation illustrating the bottle mounting.

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic view of the unit installed, and

Figure 9 is a diagrammatic view of the circuit between the motor, humidifier, lamp socket and the course of current.

There is illustrated a humidifier 10 consisting of a liquid receptacle 11 at one end of which there is an end wall 12 and at the opposite end there are a pair of uprights 13. A partial top wall 14 is secured between the upper edge of said end wall 12 and the upper ends of the uprights 13. Screw eyes 15 are secured in respective corners of the top wall 14 in order that the humidifier may be suspended from a ceiling or the like.

As clearly shown in Figure 7, the top wall 14 is formed with an opening 16 the sides of which are provided with elastic gripping blocks 17 adapted to contact the surfaces of a water reservoir 18 when inverted upon an outlet fitting 19 fixed to the bottom 20 of the liquid receptacle 11. It will be noted that the blocks 17 are positioned oif center with respect to the vertical axis of the water reservoir and function in conjunction with an additional block 17' to maintain the reservoir in proper upright position.

An electric motor 21 is mounted in a bracket 22 secured on the top wall 14, the motor being positioned in vertical relation to the top wall 14 which is apertured as at 23. A shaft 24 passes through the aperture 23 and is loosely coupled as at 25 to the shaft of the motor.

Upon the bottom wall 20 of the liquid receptacle 11, in vertical alignment with the shaft 24, a bearing 26 is mounted, including a flange 27 positioned in spaced horizontal relation with respect to the bottom wall 20. Above the flange an annular collar 28 is provided having an upwardly opening bore 29 of a diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the shaft 24 so that the lower end of the shaft is loosely fitted therein. The lower end of the shaft 24 is formed with a plurality of spiral grooves 30 which terminate a short distance above the collar 28, and at the termination of these grooves an atomizing blade 31 is secured to the shaft by means of a bolt and nut 31'.

The atomizing blade 31 extends transversely of the shaft 24 and is positioned within the receptacle 11. The atomizing blade is formed with a multiplicity of apertures 32 which function to break the surface tension of water delivered by the grooves 30 of the shaft, to create a fine mist which will be distributed to the exterior of the unit by a diffusion blade 33 mounted on the shaft 24 above the atomizing blade by means of a bolt and nut 33'.

The output of the unit can be varied by the size of the apertures 32 as well as the location thereof with respect to the motor shaft. The atomizing blade 31 (Fig. 6) embodies apertures employed in the minimum or low out-put, while in Figure 5, a high out-put blade 34 is shown. In the latter construction, the blade comprises a medial planiform imperforated body member 35, having a single opening 36 so as to mount the blade upon the motor shaft. Formed integrally with respective ends of the body member there are extensions 37, each being provided with a multiplicity of apertures 38. Thus, it will be seen that the apertures 38 are located a substantial distance outwardly of the motor shaft, and since the body member 35 rotates in a plane directly above the discharge end of the pump, a suction is created thereby increasing the capacity of the pump. The capacity of the pump may be varied by the size of the bore 29 and by the vertical location of the blade upon the motor shaft, and to this end the motor shaft 24 may be provided with vertically spaced apertures 39.

The blades 31 and 34 are constructed from light, pliable sheet material readily bendable into desired shapes to increase or decrease the output, and in Figure 5-A, the body member 35 has been bent at right angles at opposite sides forming shoulders 35a and it will be apparent that by increasing the angle of the shoulders 35:: a

3 greater amount of water is permitted to pass outwardly on the blade.

As best seen in Figure 7, a junction box 40 is mounted upon the end wall 12 of the unit and includes a socket 41 for mounting a pilot light 42. The circuit through the motor, humidistat and the socket is shown in Figure 9, wherein the source of A. C. current is indicated at 43 having leads 44 and 45 connected to respective binding posts 46 and 47 of a connector plug 51. From the binding post 46 a lead 48 is connected to one binding post of the motor. One side of the humidistat 36 is connected by a line 49 to the other binding post of the motor, while the opposite side of the humidistat is connected to the binding post 47 by means of a lead 50.

The humidifier will be suspended or otherwise supported in the air stream of a cooling unit 52 as shown in Figure 8.

With the reservoir 18 filled with water and the outlet thereof seated upon the discharge fitting 19, water will feed into the receptacle 11 through barometric action, until the receptacle becomes filled to a distance above the flange 27 of the bearing 26. The depth of the liquid can be regulated by varying the height between the mouth of the reservoir 18 and the outlet fitting 19, which may be accomplished by increasing or decreasing the spacing of the outlet of the reservoir 18 with respect to the discharge fitting 19. This may be accomplished by adding or removing washers 53.

A scale 54 is provided on the exterior of the receptacle 18 which will give a positive reading of the amount of water being used in the unit, as well as to indicate the need for replenishing the water supply.

In use, when current is supplied to the motor 21, the shaft 24 will be rotated with consequent rotation of the atomizer blade 31 and the diffusing blade 33. Water will be drawn upwardly from the pan 11 by means of the grooves 30 and discharged into the openings 32 of the blade 31. In addition to the pumping action of the grooves 30, a suction is created by the rapid rotation of the blade 31 and by virtue of the centrifugal force of the blade, the water will be caused to traverse the blade lengthwise with a resulting atomization of the water pro ducing a very fine mist or vapor which will be diffused by the blade 33. The humidistat of course, is adjustable for controlling the percentage of humidity desired, while the pilot light will indicate that the unit is in operation.

The instant humidifier was designed particularly for use in egg storage plants to eliminate dry air with consequent egg deterioration, although it is not limited to such use, and while a preferred form of the device has been shown and described, this is by way of illustration only, and I consider as my own all such modifications in construction as fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a humidifier, an open liquid-receiving pan, means for feeding liquid to said pan to a predetermined level, an electric motor supported above said liquid-receiving pan, said electric motor having a downwardly extending shaft, the lower end of said shaft being seated in a bearing upon the bottom wall of said liquid-receiving pan, a source of current for said electric motor, a liquid atomizing blade secured to said shaft positioned above said bearing, said blade having a multiplicity of perforations formed therethrough and rotated in a horizontal plane with respect to said bearing, the lower end of said shaft having a plurality of spiral grooves extending lengthwise of said shaft and cooperating with said bearing for elevating liquid to said atomizing blade, the upper ends of said spiral grooves terminating in close proximity to said atomizing blade and a horizontally disposed diffusing blade fixed to said shaft above said atomizing blade.

2. In a humidifier, a liquid-receiving pan, an upright open frame structure supported by said pan, said frame structure including a top wall having an opening on one end, a liquid reservoir vertically supported within said opening, the discharge opening of said reservoir being in operative engagement with a liquid discharge fitting fixed upon the bottom wall of said liquid-receiving pan for barometric feed of liquid in said pan to a predetermined level, an electric motor supported upon the top wall of said frame structure and having a downwardly extended shaft, 21 source of current for energizing said motor, a bearing fixed to the bottom wall of said liquid-receiving pan, said bearing having a bore of a diameter slightly greater than the diameter of said shaft, an atomizing blade fixed to the shaft and rotatable therewith in a horizontal plane within said liquid receiving pan, said atomizing blade being formed with a multiplicity of apertures, the lower end of said shaft having a plurality of spiral grooves extending lengthwise thereof, the upper ends terminating in close proximity to said atomizing blade and cooperating with said bearing for elevating the liquid to said atomizing blade and a horizontally disposed diffusing blade fixed to the shaft positioned above said atomizing blade.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 317,559 McRae Mar. 12, 1885 955,616 Tava Apr. 19, 1910 1,160,413 Kellogg Nov. 16, 1915 1,439,319 Mills Dec. 19, 1922 1,686,456 Kohler Oct. 2, 1928 1,762,028 Phelps June 3, 1930 2,086,921 Norris July 13, 1937 2,718,385 Greblick Sept. 20, 1955 

